


Valentine's Day

by Snowblaze



Category: The Good Doctor (TV 2017)
Genre: F/M, Valentine's Day, Valentine's Day Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-16
Updated: 2018-02-16
Packaged: 2019-03-19 13:06:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,788
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13705083
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Snowblaze/pseuds/Snowblaze
Summary: It's Valentine's Day at Saint Bonaventure. With a litle bit of timeline meshings and backstory, this fic comes out to be a sweet, fluffy Valentine's fic for all the Melendaire/Naire/Clairendez shippers out there!





	Valentine's Day

Neil hated Valentine’s. He always had. When he was in elementary and middle school, no one ever gave him anything for Valentine’s, deeming him too nerdy or weird for their attempts at affection. Even in high school, as he watched his friends get bags upon bags of gifts and tons of candy, no one offered to give him anything nor be his Valentine. When he got older and became more appealing, he serenaded his girlfriends with floods of gifts on Valentine’s. Most of them broke his heart a couple of days after, saying that all of this was too much. He had so much love and compassion to share with the world, and none of them accepted him for it.

With Jessica, Valentine’s was finally…okay. He slightly toned down his spews of romantic antics and got her a card and a major gift of some sort yearly, and she did so in return. When they split, it truly hurt him to know that one of the only women who ever truly loved him and allowed him to somewhat express who he was thought that their relationship would end up being a regret.

* * *

Claire loved Valentine’s. There was never a year where she didn’t give out enough Valentine’s to drown the world in her compassion. Even during medical school, with her tuition and the fees of necessity cutting away at her budget, she still managed to make enough cards for her closest friends and spread her tender warmth to them. She was a strong woman that radiated care and love. Valentine’s Day was the day where she would break from her character and express her somewhat pent-up love and compassion for people.

No one at Saint Bonaventure had seen her Valentine’s antics yet. The staff had heard bits and pieces of discussions she’d had over the phone, talking about red construction paper and glitter, as well as boxes of Sour Patch Kids. Most just brushed it off, but some knew that the torrential Valentine’s storm known as Cyclone Dr. Claire Browne was hastily approaching.

What had Claire absolutely elated this Valentine’s season, though, was the fact that she was going to be able to lift her boss’s spirits. Neil had been somewhat down ever since him and Jessica decided to end things a few months ago. He may have buried his sorrows in his work, but he did have sorrows. Claire, though, had a plan to resolve those feelings and finally bring a smile to his face, a smile that didn’t hide any pain behind it. And did that plan involve red construction paper, glitter, and Sour Patch Kids? Yes.

* * *

On February 14th, the legendary day of Saint Valentine, Claire and Shaun were with Neil to perform a right laparoscopic unilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, Jared was assisting Dr. Lin on a neuroblastoma removal from the lumbar part of the spinal cord, and Morgan was doing surgical consults in the ER. Claire’s locker was stuffed to the brim with Valentine’s cards for everyone, with packets of Sour Patch Kids attached. After she was off of her shift, she would attempt to give out all the cards she could to staff and the pediatric patients.

Hours later, the complication-filled salpingo-oophorectomy was successful and finished, as was Claire’s shift. Therefore, the fun of Valentine’s Day Cyclone Dr. Claire Browne would begin. When she retreated to the locker room to get changed and get ready to go home, her routine shifted. She got dressed in her usual adornment, but instead of walking right out the door, she did something else.

Grabbing the large bagful of adorned red cards, Claire headed out of the barren locker room as she took a couple from the bag. She handed one to every staff member she saw, even diverging from her original ambitions to give some lonely patients cards too. When she nearly crashed into Shaun as she sped to the pediatric ward, she gave him 4 cards and a happy Valentine’s Day as an apology before continuing on her path. When she got to pediatrics, she went up to the check-in desk with a softer demeanor and pace.

“Dr. Browne! What brings you to pediatrics at this hour?” The person at the computer, Nurse Janette, asked as she looked up at the surgical resident kindly. The nurse smiled when Claire hoisted a big bag of Valentine’s up onto the desk, her original bag still swelling with cards.

“Spreading the love this Valentine’s Day, huh?” Nurse Janette jokingly questioned, inspecting the bag of cards for any candy or tiny, dangerous particles.

“Yes, and here’s yours,” Claire answered cheerfully, handing Nurse Janette a plain, heart-shaped card with paper lace trim. The nurse was amazed by the generosity and gleefully accepted it, mentioning that she hadn’t gotten a Valentine’s card like this since her ex-husband first met her. Nurse Janette set the card down on her desk and finished inspecting the bag of cards. Once she ensured that the cards were sugarless and glitterless, she got up to deliver the cards to the patients’ families.

Claire turned on her heel, quickly speeding off finish delivering the rest of her cards to any of the staff she saw in the halls and the occasional patient or two. She was done within the hour, even delivering a card to Dr. Aoki, Dr. Andrews, and Jessica.

Jessica was a little stiff when given the card, probably already having sniffed out the fact that Claire was attempting to cheer up her ex. There was nothing wrong with that, except the fact that when Jess offered to go to dinner to Neil, as friends, he declined with no real reasoning. It doesn’t take a genius to deduce the fact that Neil was conflicted in his feelings and probably developed feelings for someone else in the months they had been split. That someone could be Claire, and that’s what frustrated Jessica.

Claire tossed the empty plastic bag into the trash and went to her locker, retrieving her last card with a silently muttered hope that Neil was still here. Entering the elevator, she felt her pulse quicken as anxiety began to flood her system. What if this doesn’t work? What if I make a fool of myself? Why do I have to have a crush on my superior?! Claire thought pessimistically as the doors slid open, snapping her from her thoughts. She walked down the familiar hallway, toting her Valentine’s card behind her back in an attempt to hide it childishly. When she approached the door she knew all too well, she raised her hand to knock.

But no sound entered the air as her hand remained frozen, mere centimeters from the door. Claire took a deep, soothing breath, holding it in as she attempted to calm herself down. She exhaled and let her hand drop, giving the door 6 knocks and stopping. Her breath dwelled in her lungs for the tedious seconds of silence that followed, fear clouding her senses as the quiet dragged on.

“Come in.” Someone, whose voice she immediately recognized as her attending’s, called out from the other side. Claire opened the door slowly, making sure to keep her card positioned securely behind her so it would be away from Neil’s sight when she gave her rehearsed speech.

“Dr. Melendez, I-” Claire began as she walked into the room, only to be interrupted by the man in question.

“Claire, for the millionth time, we’re off-duty.You can call me Neil.” Neil reassures the surgical resident, who breathes and approaches his desk before starting again.

“Neil, I was, well, um, screw it.” Claire stuttered, bringing the card from behind her back and showing it to Neil. Her rehearsals and practice meant nothing now. All that she could do from this point onward is let the words that needed to be said spill from her lips.

“Happy Valentine’s Day, Neil,” Claire exclaimed, smiling softly with her card out in front of her. Neil glimpsed at the card, then to her somewhat heated face, then back to the card. Claire felt her heart drop as his pause made her even more uncomfortable than she had been moments ago.

“It’s beautiful. When did you have the time to make it?” Neil finally responded, standing up gently taking the card from Claire. She stared at him with surprise, feeling her heart jump right back up to her chest happily. Processing his question, she answered promptly.

“In between shifts and everything,” Claire answered, smiling wider and intertwining her fingers awkwardly. Neil chuckled as he took the bag of Sour Patch Kids off the card and looked up at Claire.

“Are you trying to tell me something with these?” He quipped, watching the surgical resident snicker warmly and fiddle with her fingers more. She grabbed another packet of Sour Patch Kids from her coat pocket and tossed it onto Neil’s desk before defending herself.

“Well, you were arrogant and sour and pretty rough at first.” Claire began, pausing when she heard Neil scoff humorously. She giggled before continuing. “I said at first! But once people get to know you, you’re amazing and sweet and thoughtful, like Sour Patch Kids.” She finished her explanation.

“I don’t understand how Sour Patch Kids could be thoughtful.” Neil teased, and Claire rolled her eyes facetiously.

“You get my point! What I’m trying to say is that you are a really great person and I know you’ve been pretty down even though it’s been a while since you and Jessica split but actually I wanted to know if you were interested in being my Valentine?” Claire rambled, realizing what she admitted and mentally facepalming. She felt that she sounded so stupid. She quietly sighed as she speculated that there was no saying in the fact that Neil was not interested in her. Damnit.

“Of course,” Neil answered. Claire peeked up from the trance she had on her intertwined fingers in elated surprise, mouth partially agape.

“Wait, really?” She asked, wanting to make sure that he wasn’t just messing with her feelings. Sure, he wasn’t that much of an arrogant dick, but she couldn’t believe the fact that her hope was justified.

“Of course, Claire. I’d love to be your Valentine.” Neil reiterated, walking out from behind his desk and to her. She smiled at him and took her hand out of her pocket, to rest at her side. He glanced to the left before meeting her eyes again, a smirk plastered on his face.

“You know, there’s a great Laotian place around the corner from here. You want to go get some dinner?” He asks, smiling at her as she pondered it for a second.

“Sure, Valentine.”

* * *

Neil loves Valentine’s Day. As does Claire.


End file.
